One year ago Steve Hutt joined Eighteen Sound (18Sound) as the manager of R&D and immediately began focusing his team on design for manufacturing, quality and production excellence.

Last June the company moved to a new facility which allows for production, sales, R&D and administration to share the same building, adding even more efficiency to the design and development process.

“In the last year we have redefined our internal development procedures, organized our customer response practices for fast and thorough turn around, and introduced key product families that are setting new benchmarks for the industry,” Hutt adds. “Since 18Sound was founded some 16 years ago they have consistently designed and manufactured the very best high performance transducers for some of the very best audio system integrators around the globe.”

“I was recruited to implement a plan that would leverage the considerable expertise at 18Sound, while maintaining the original vision and passion for excellence. A great design is only as good as the last unit off the production line and in this area, 18Sound is as good as it gets.”

Hutt’s industry background underscores his broad reach of disciplines and understanding that is essential in his new role at 18Sound. He has authored a substantial number of AES and Tech papers on Transducer Quality, he holds 15 Patents, and has 30+ years in the professional audio business, including time spent at Harman, Klipsch and THX.

As the leader of the development team he interfaces with design engineers from prominent manufacturers around the world. This not only keeps him grounded in up and coming technology demands but also allows him to explore the leading edge of design.

“Throughout my career I have been lucky to work closely with some of the greatest contributors to loudspeaker sciences: Richard Small, Don (DB) Keele and Laurie Fincham are a few of the people who have inspired, mentored and instilled in me a discipline for excellence. It is fantastic to come to 18Sound to find the same passions, discipline and extraordinary skill sets literally throughout the organization.”

2014 will see some of the most decisive movements from 18Sound in its history. The new facility in Reggio Emilia, Italy allows for substantial production growth and product development, and the output from the organization will eclipse any previous year. Hutt pauses to focus on this growth.

“Going forward we have a number of products in the pipeline that will serve not just the status quo for high performance drivers, but introduce innovative solutions and emerging technologies that will position 18Sound as the go-to-supplier for our customers. It promises to be another exciting year.”